With just about a week until its launch, Xbox One ($499) is garnering plenty of buzz among gamers.

As you likely know by now, Microsoft's next-generation console is fueled by a powerful processor and graphics engine, and includes an improved Kinect accessory to put you in the action. Along with new features added to the Xbox Live service, the new machine boasts a number of exclusive games, such as Forza Motorsport 5, Dead Rising 3, Ryse and, early next year, Titanfall.

And you're probably aware that Xbox One lets you record, edit and share gaming experiences with friends around the world and even broadcast live games right from the console.

But there's quite a bit you probably didn't know about Xbox One. We caught up with a few key "players" at Microsoft to share their favorite lesser-known facts and features of the new console.

"The controller went through some unique tests," says Carl Ledbetter, senior principal creative director at Xbox.

"You may already have heard that the Xbox One controller features more than 40 improvements, but the team obsessed over every little detail in ways they never have before, going as far as to create fake hands in a variety of sizes to ensure the design fit as many types of hands as possible." It's difficult for designers to visualize something as complex as people's hands, he explains.

"When evaluating concepts, we actually created a set of 3-D models of the smallest (5th percentile) and largest (95th percentile) hands, which we then used for reference as a reminder that our own hands fit into this range." "These references kept the team grounded in the fact that we were solving problems that affected our whole population of gamers, not just our small group, and the size difference between the hands was staggering and really helped illuminate the challenges of making the new controller more comfortable."

In addition to understanding the need to fit a larger range of hand sizes, the Xbox team built more than 200 controller prototypes that investigated size, shape, and controls and elements such as battery location and access. "Once we had those prototypes, we spent more than 500 hours testing the models in 1100 pairs of hands," Ledbetter says.

REMOTE POSSIBILITIES

Xbox One can be used as a universal remote for watching live TV from your cable or satellite box or for streaming content from apps.

"We wanted to take TV to the next level. With Kinect, we could really do that by unlocking the power of speech and controlling the devices in the living room," says Ben Smith, head of TV for Xbox One. "Xbox One has a universal remote built in, and OneGuide, the personalized program guide in Xbox One, voice-enables channels." Smith says you simply utter the words "Xbox Watch," followed by the channel name. Kinect recognizes what the user says, and OneGuide changes the channel for the user — no remote control needed. You can say things such as "Xbox Mute" and "Xbox Volume Up" to control the volume of your TV.

"We were also fascinated by bringing together content in streaming video services and TV," Smith adds. "In OneGuide, users can browse or access 'favorite' content from apps, like their watch lists or recommended movies, right alongside TV listings."

"Kinect no longer needs to tilt to see even more," says John Link, chief of staff for personal devices and applied technology at Microsoft. "We worked really hard to improve the field of view provided by the new Kinect sensor for Xbox One."

Specifically, the 70- by 60-degree view of the scene allowed Xbox to eliminate the need for a tilt motor, enabling the team to account for more living rooms — without needing to rearrange the furniture. "Small children and adults can now play together at the same time, and the average player can stand 2 feet closer to the sensor, which is a big deal in smaller homes and apartments," Link says. "The increase in horizontal field of view also means that people playing side-by-side can stand around 3 feet closer and have less need to worry about running into each other when they are getting into the action."

Link says one of the coolest things to experience is how this applies not only to the traditional Kinect gesture technologies, but to see what it means for HD video experiences: "The new Kinect really delivers the best living-room Skype experience you can find. I can have my entire family sitting around the living room at Thanksgiving, and Skype my family across the country without excluding anyone or forcing people to huddle around a camera. It even zooms in and tracks the person talking, all within the Kinect lens, without actually moving."

PULLING A 180

After gamers spoke out at the E3 video-game expo in June, Xbox reversed a few decisions over what you can and cannot do with Xbox One.

"You can use Xbox One's disc-based games just like you do today with your Xbox 360 discs — there are no limitations to using, sharing or trading them," confirms Albert Penello, senior director of product management and planning at Microsoft. "You also don't have to be 'always connected' to the Internet to play Xbox One — it does require a one-time connection to set up the system, but that's it. The choice is yours." The console won't require an Internet connection to play offline features of games.

Finally, "you are in control of what Kinect can see and hear," Penello adds. "You have complete control over your privacy settings, and no data will leave your Xbox One without your explicit permission."